Very soon, everyone snapped out of their shock and crowded around Robin to fuss over her with great concern, practically forgetting the main culprit, Lu Jingming, off to the side.
At this moment, it seemed no one cared anymore about exactly when Lu Jingming had eaten Robin.
"Xiao Ming, you're playing favorites. I want it too!"
Xu Jiujiu's eyes were full of grievance as she stared straight at Lu Jingming. That look seemed to carry a thousand unspoken words, making Lu Jingming feel an immense pressure.
After all, he'd just spent a passionate night with Xu Jiujiu, only to leave her—exhausted from the night—at dawn to find Robin, and then accidentally got Robin pregnant. How could Xu Jiujiu not feel resentful?
"Alright, next time for sure!" With no way out, Lu Jingming could only grit his teeth and agree.
He'd originally thought there was no need to rush such matters, and Xu Jiujiu had indicated she was fine with the plan before.
But Robin's unexpected pregnancy clearly struck a nerve with Xu Jiujiu. Now she was dead set on having a child of her own with Lu Jingming.
"You said it. No take-backs. How about tonight?"
As soon as Xu Jiujiu heard him agree, her eyes lit up and she asked urgently on the spot.
Her haste seemed like she was afraid he might go back on his word.
Seeing this, the corner of Lu Jingming's mouth twitched, and he felt helpless.
Because at that moment, he noticed Zhang Lexuan was also staring at him without blinking, her look self-explanatory—she, too, had expectations.
He felt as if he had fallen into a sweet predicament. Faced with the hopes of Xu Jiujiu and Zhang Lexuan, he was at a loss for a moment.
Because of Robin's pregnancy, all the girls were like iron filings drawn to a giant magnet, clustering around her with undisguised concern.
Everyone chimed in, fussing over her attentively.
March 7 was especially enthusiastic, volunteering to take care of Robin without leaving her side.
Part of it was wariness of Lu Jingming; another part was curiosity about the new life on the way. She wanted, more than anything, to be there every moment and witness each step of this little life's growth.
Their warmth truly moved Robin, but also left her a bit helpless.
After all, she had only just gotten pregnant. There was nothing about her condition that required constant care.
Moreover, having just tasted the forbidden fruit between man and woman, Robin remembered the marvelous experience vividly—she even found herself craving more.
If she agreed to let March 7 stick to her like glue, how would Lu Jingming visit her in the future?
With that in mind, Robin smiled gently and declined March 7's kind offer.
This left little March a bit disappointed. She truly wanted to take care of Robin, but more than that, it was the curiosity about the birth of new life that drove her.
Watching Robin, now the center of attention, Lu Jingming couldn't help showing a satisfied smile.
The scene before him was so harmonious and warm—everyone genuinely cared for Robin and the child in her belly—so he felt no worries.
With Robin carrying the Lu family's bloodline, her status as mistress of Haiyuan City was now cemented.
The Golden Guards' commanders who were already Lu family elders—Lu Wu, Lu Qingluan, and others—took the initiative to stand watch outside Robin's residence in shifts, day and night.
Lu Jingming even noticed that Jingliu, who was usually hard to see, often appeared nearby.
Clearly, Jingliu was showing her concern in her own way, even if she still looked aloof on the surface.
Everyone knew this was Haiyuan City, heavily guarded, where accidents were near impossible.
Yet precisely because of their deep concern for Robin and the child, they were overly anxious—only by seeing with their own eyes could they feel at ease.
Lu Jingming, however, wasn't as jumpy as the rest.
He had absolute confidence in Haiyuan City's defenses—no danger would occur.
But he also understood that this was how others showed they cared for Robin, so he said nothing and let them express it in their own ways.
…
Heavenly Soul Empire, Clear Sky Sect.
On a cliff peak, Niu Tian stood in simple gray robes, gazing out at the endless mountains.
His expression was exceptionally grave, as if a great weight pressed upon his heart.
"Da Ming, the Deep Sea Devil Whale has reemerged. It wiped out the Devil Soul Great White Shark clan and grievously wounded the Sea God Clan. I reckon our Clear Sky Sect will be its target too. What exactly are you thinking?"
Tai Tan paced irritably beside him, worry and anxiety written across his face.
The Clear Sky Sect had just received word from the Sea God Clan: their patriarch had fallen in battle, and the Devil Soul Great White Shark clan had been annihilated.
For their Sea God lineage, it was a bombshell that triggered a tidal wave.
Though the Clear Sky Sect had remained hidden from the world, they never relaxed their attention to the continent's situation and always kept contact with other branches of the Sea God lineage.
Of course, the Tang Sect was an exception.
In this era, the Tang Sect had not received their recognition; in their eyes, the Tang Sect wasn't worth mentioning.
Even if the Tang Sect was founded by Sea God Tang San, those who knew, knew.
Though the Tang Sect bore the surname Tang and wielded Blue Silver Grass, in truth, they had no substantive connection to Tang San.
"The Deep Sea Devil Whale's strength is unfathomable—absolutely not something we can contend with easily. For now, we can only hope that person will step in to help."
Niu Tian shook his head helplessly, bitterness in his eyes.
He knew well that while he was an Ultimate Douluo, wasn't the Sea God Clan's patriarch one as well?
Even a Sea God Douluo bearing a divine tool fell against the Devil Whale. He and Tai Tan had even less of a chance.
If they encountered it, even escaping would be an ordeal.
Now he could only hope the contingencies Tang San left were strong enough, and pray that Tang San in the God Realm perceived the upheaval in the lower world.
Yet with no word from Tang San, Niu Tian had a creeping suspicion.
Sea God Tang San was likely in trouble himself. Otherwise, given his habit of monitoring the Douluo Continent, he would not remain silent amidst such earth-shaking changes.
At that thought, Niu Tian's gaze drifted to Tang Wutong in the distance and the dangerous-looking woman at her side.
The gray-haired woman had crimson eyes, wore peacock-like opulent attire, and had a playful smile. She chatted intimately with Tang Wutong like a big sister with a little sister. Tang Wutong clearly trusted her and was full of goodwill.
Though the gray-haired woman by Tang Wutong seemed utterly harmless and easy to get along with, Niu Tian was intensely wary.
His instincts blared warnings—this woman was anything but kind, extremely dangerous.
And indeed, that was the truth.
Ever since this woman had been summoned as Tang Wutong's Servant, Niu Tian and Tai Tan tried to probe her strength.
But even a brief exchange made it clear to Niu Tian that neither he nor Tai Tan was her match.
Though she had shown no overtly dangerous behavior since appearing—always friendly, quickly becoming Tang Wutong's close confidante—Niu Tian's sense of wrongness would not fade.
Suddenly, the gray-haired woman teasing Tang Wutong with flamboyant, theatrical banter seemed to sense something. She slowly lifted her head and glanced at Niu Tian from afar.
A faint, hard-to-spot smile flashed in her eyes before she ignored him again and continued to banter with Tang Wutong.
"Vita-sis, what should I do? The task my dad gave me is such a hassle!"
Tang Wutong wore a delicate dress in pink and blue; her long, straight legs were wrapped in snowy-white stockings, and her heels idly tapped a pebble. Her face was full of vexation.
Tang San's task for her was to approach Lu Jingming to learn more about him.
But no matter how she tried, she had no idea where to begin.
She couldn't just march into Haiyuan City and say she was there for Lu Jingming, right?
They had no prior relationship. Showing up unannounced would only trigger his vigilance and complicate things.
As for joining St. Freya Academy—impossible.
She was already seventeen, well past St. Freya's intake age.
Soul master academies generally recruited around eleven or twelve. St. Freya was no exception—it wasn't a place just anyone could enter on a whim.
Moreover, Tang Wutong's identity was special. As someone of the Clear Sky Sect, she would attract attention wherever she went.
Plus, she had been a Shrek Academy student. How could St. Freya easily accept her?
So she fretted over the task, unable to find a suitable approach.
Helpless, she turned to her Servant, Vita, and confided everything—her origins and purpose.
Naive and simple, Tang Wutong soon let down her guard before this seemingly understanding big sister and trusted her completely.
She even revealed the secret that she came from the God Realm and was the daughter of a God King.
In her mind, Vita was her Servant; they would fight side by side in the upcoming Holy Grail War, so mutual trust was only right.
"What's hard about it? With your devastating beauty, little Wutong, landing a man is a piece of cake."
Vita turned lightly, hooked a finger under Tang Wutong's chin, and teased with a flirtatious tone.
"Vita-sis, this is serious. Don't joke around. I really don't know what to do!"
Tang Wutong's cheeks flushed as she spoke with a hint of coy reproach.
Vita was great at everything and always helped solve problems, but she had one small flaw—she was too mischievous and loved to tease.
"I'm not joking. Little Wutong, that Lu Jingming isn't ordinary. If you can win him over, the Holy Grail War will be much easier for us. After all, I'm just a delicate, frail girl. Asking me to fight a Holy Grail War is really too much."
Vita said this while deliberately shaking her head and striking a fragile pose, as if fighting was unthinkable and she was merely a pretty girl who knew how to enjoy life.
"Vita-sis!"
Tang Wutong rolled her eyes. She knew a little of Vita's power.
Even her peak-power godfather and god-uncle of the Douluo Continent were no match for Vita.
While Tang Wutong didn't know Vita's exact limits, it was certain she was far beyond ordinary Ultimate Douluo—her true ceiling exceeded what the old Douluo Continent considered the limit.
Of course, that "limit" referred to the Douluo Continent of old. The current Douluo Continent was quietly undergoing huge changes.
Any soul master with some sensitivity could feel it.
They found their cultivation speed clearly improved, the energy in the air grew richer, and breaking bottlenecks was easier than before.
All this indicated the world's upper limit was rising; the rules of heaven and earth on Douluo were changing, no longer suppressing breakthroughs by powerful soul masters as before.
This change affected soul beasts as well.
They too cultivated faster, and even the might of tribulations had waned.
In recent years, many human soul masters had successfully become Titled Douluo, and many soul beasts had smoothly passed their tribulations, achieving qualitative leaps.
Tracing all this back led to Lu Jingming.
And the amplitude of this change continued to expand. Of course, only a very few insiders knew this key fact.
Though Vita hadn't been summoned for long, with keen insight and formidable intel-gathering, she had gathered many threads.
From the Simulated Universe, to myriad virtual games, to rapidly advancing soul tool technology, to the crucial Stigmata—she pieced together these seemingly scattered clues into one line pointing straight to Haiyuan City and to the mysterious Lu Jingming.
Those Stigmata were all too familiar—Vita sensed traces belonging to their world.
She even boldly suspected that this Holy Grail War capable of summoning her memory body was likely intertwined with Lu Jingming.
So she wasn't joking—she truly wanted Tang Wutong to deploy a honey trap and try to seduce the enigmatic Lu Jingming.
After all, if he warranted such weight from Tang Wutong's God King father, even sending his daughter to approach him, Vita had reason to suspect Lu Jingming might be the origin of all these changes.
Of course, while Vita was curious about the truth, what mattered more to her was fun.
She wasn't here in person; as for fighting some Holy Grail War or pursuing truths, she wasn't that interested.
In her view, finding amusement in this was the most interesting thing.
From an angle Tang Wutong didn't catch, Vita smiled with a sly, villainess air—light-red pupils glinting with a connoisseur-of-chaos gleam.
In her eyes, Tang Wutong hid many interesting bits of fun.
Still, she might have to let down her Master; she wasn't the dutiful, by-the-book type.
She preferred to follow her own whims, seeking whatever entertained her in this otherworldly journey.
Tang Wutong knew none of this. She only hoped her good sister would offer ideas so she could complete her task.
It was her father's mission. She wanted to help, prove she wasn't a child anymore, and earn recognition, so she took it seriously.